A Secret Sorrow: The Effects Of Cryptically Oppressive Men On Women

Amanda Stevenson

Dr. Sigler

EN 102: Composition and Literature

11 September 2015

The Effects of Cryptically Oppressive Men on Women

Although A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin and A Secret Sorrow by Karen van der Zee illustrate the predicaments of two very different women, both stories have similar, male driven undertones. The stories’ intertwining themes suggest that as women attempt to attain freedom by not succumbing to the standards of typical life, they ultimately fail because of oppressive male society. Ironically, the differences in each story highlight the similarities, such as the role of children and the method of separation of the women, each with relation to the male characters.

The unnamed woman and Faye have very different definitions

In paragraph 20 of A Sorrowful Woman, the woman moves into “the girl’s white room” (Godwin 42). This diction demonstrates the mental and physical withdrawal of the woman. The woman literally moves out of her shared bedroom with her husband and into the now empty, white room. The actual withdrawal directly relates to her seemingly abandoning her husband and child. The specific use of the word “girl’s” implies that this move was also a major regressive step for the woman psychologically. Figuratively, the wife is transitioning from being a woman to being a girl in terms of her behavior. This is why the husband treats her like a child. The unnamed woman reverts to acting like a child, which relates to her inability to care for her own child. Although, on the outside, the husband in A Sorrowful Woman seems to be a supportive man to his wife, he actually causes more harm than good. By allowing his wife to separate herself from the family, he cripples the image that society expects. Although the wife does initiate her own isolation, the husband allows her to remain separate. In a way, the unnamed husband is a vital part of her isolation; because he does not talk her out of it or convince her she is doing wrong. This decision on the husband’s part suggests that his image of marriage life is distorted compared to society. The husband is content with taking care of the child alone, because he never alters his routine. By giving the husband this kind of mentality, Godwin is showing men in a negative light. The husband is unnamed, because it suggests that he lacks importance. The man lacks the level of masculinity which is expected in a male dominant